glaucoma 2

This time, I closed my left eye, and with charcoal on a broken ground of green and blue sketched in the shapes of the living room before me as seen with my right. Then with indian ink, pen and brush emphasised parts of the picture to give it a little movement.  The fish like shape in the middle is my glaucomis companion - the challenge is to paint what I cannot see. Impossible, of course, but worth attempting if just for the interest I get from it - My uncle, Norman Sutcliffe, and illustrator and best of blokes, working in the first part of the last century would encourage me by telling me to paint what I see - I suppose what I am doing here is painting what my brain registers as missing from what I see. 

To all - may we have a peaceful New Year ,,, for a treat!

Glaucoma in painting

My glaucoma affects the sight in my right eye more than in the left.  I notice it only if I close my left eye that otherwise compensates for the missing section of my sight.  The picture I have been working on recently cheats so that into an imaginary autumn landscape with scudding leaves there is too the shape of the blind spot marked out in grey. This I left it as in the original charcoal, fixed, so it doen't smudge, because its graininess is very like the real thing.  Surprise suprise -  I connect this to a passage in Shakespeare when, in The Merchant of Venice, Young Launcelot, about to tease his father, says 'Oh, heavens, this is my true-begotten father who, being more than sand-blind, high-gravel-blind, knows me not (2.2.31).

The thoughts on Hamlet like Topsy keep growing, but I think is now almost ready to be decked out in better English than I can manage, which means I shall talk it over with my partner, Philippa who's eye and ear for a good phrase matches the cat's pyjams...

Henry IV Part Two - BBC: Saturday 14th July

Thank you for a good show. The king's deathbed revival was a bit OTT, but what the hell, the whole was so much brighter and crisper that the First Part of which the least said the soonest mended.

The HOLLOW Crown Sat 7 July

The Hollow Crown for a hollow production, Sat 7 July. Three of us watched it. General response: no celebration this of a work by Shakespeare; slovenly articulation, Jeremy Irons excepted.   Direction adrift, otherwise aimless rushing around. WS bethumped by the noise of hooves.  Bright spot? Well, it was a pity that the scene between Falstaff and Hal came near to being moving because it pointed up how dreary was the rest of the piece.  Simon Rusell Beale snored.

Ordeal by Arm-wrestling: Julius Caesar “unwrapped” at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford

Ordeal by Arm-wrestling: Julius Caesar “unwrapped” Saturday 30 June 2012, 10.30-11.30 am at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford

My partner and I had so enjoyed last Friday night’s performance of Greg Doran’s production of Julius Caesar  that we were delighted to have an opportunity to return to the theatre the following morning for the “Unwrapped” event.

This was one of a series of events at which the public are invited to join members of the creative team and acting company for a demonstration of the ways a play in the current season has “made its journey from the page to the stage”.

In this case, it was enthralling to hear what had gone into the rehearsals to produce such fine performances - including varying interpretations of character and text.  Many, many thanks to you all - in particular, the actors Ann Ogbomo and Marcus Griffiths for taking up my suggestion, getting physical and arm-wrestling their way, belly-down, through the great scene between Caesar and Calpurnia!  It was a big ask and they came through brilliantly - indeed, in true Roman style, triumphantly!

I would like to urge as many people as possible to go to Stratford and see this production!

elgin marbles

I agree that the marbles should be returned to Greece.

self portraits and Lucien Freud's magic

I was rather taken with the pleasant patterns arising from getting over my recent op for glaucoma  when I looked beyond my easel and at the mirror the other day, and what with the rather ragged subject and the firm lines of the mirrors etc, painted 'Barrie may 2011,  On stacking it away, I came across two other self portraits, the Byronic one, a dashed off water colour, cant remember when, and the soft coloured , perhaps painted 5 years ago.

Cheeky of me to bring in the name of Lucien Freud in the same breath as taking this ego trip,  but I have been wondering if his passionate work was driven by desperate magical thinking to resurrect in earth colours lives lost in the Nazi camps.  I find and like a relaxation in his paintings of plants

Colin McPhillamy theatre - impresario

 I never thought I would become a theatre angel - but here I am with a very modest investment in a new theatre venture inaugurated by my friend Colin McPhillamy.  I think I am safe in saying that Marianne and I gave him his first professtional job after he left Central School of Speech and Drama - and now here he is, launching what might turn out to be the largest theatre venture in the world - I asked him to say a few words on his own behalf...(trumpets, drums)...

'Colin McPhillamy, a sometime Mull Little Theatre actor (1983 with his one man Henry V), has become involved in producing English-speaking theatre in China. He's currently in Beijing working on a production of Man of La Mancha - Cervantes is big in Beijing by the way, there is a statue of him given pride of place in the middle of the Beijing University campus!

Colin first visited China with King Lear back in 2008 just after the Olympics. He admits to becoming quite fascinated by the place to the extent of grappling with the language. Together with his business partner he plans a series of productions over the next 12 - 18 months.'


For more details try...

mcphillamy.com

blind - not today

 
Yesterday I was privileged to have a surgeon save my sight.  I have glaucoma in both eyes. It is hereditary.  My left eye is robust and responds well to drops.  My right eye is weaker.  Nearly three years ago I had a channel put into it to relieve the pressure - this slowly filled up - but now, thanks to the Manchester Eye Hospital staff it is cleared and the pressure is down - lots of droplets to put in - but this means I can go on painting for fun rather than in desperation resulting from loss of light.  I mention this, to alert anyone who needs to have glasses, to be sure to have a check for glaucoma - the earlier it is diagnosed, the better the outcome.  Cheers!

painting greens

I suppose it is becuase we have more receptors in our eyes for the colour green than any other colour that it is such a difficult colour to use.  The other day, becuase of the plants in the window were bouncing light into the room, I thought it would be interesting to capture the moment in paint - silly me - the colours got muddy.  I think it is not only the number of receptors (if that is the right word) but the tricks the brain does to generalise the subject of interest that muddles the issue,  I find that if the subject has a strong shape or strong colour then similar shapes and colours tend to becomes emphasised in the parts of the visual field that I am not concentrating on.    Have recently been in touch with the dep of psychology here in Manchester regarding my interest in the problems that arise when we try to represent what we think we see on to canvas. This all comes from the time my uncle, a professional painter and illustrator told me to 'paint what you see'  - I have been trying to follow his advice off and on ever since.  Norman Sutcliffe, his name.  A man of kindness and wit. 

nighthawks what happens next

I enjoy thinking about what comes next when looking at pictures in art galleries.  Fairly recently at an exhibition of Edward Hopper's work his 'Nighthawks' seemed to ask, and then what? My rough painting is an answer that asks more questions: the cafe is seen in reverse through a car mirror.  Is the driver one of the characters in the painting, or is it by someone else? Is the loan character one of the customers, and are the couple in the distance the man and woman in the painting? Is the proprietor putting on his coat to go back to an empty home? All this in homage.

New Year 2012 acting and painting

I havent forgotten - just going on with Hamlet - so much reading and checking. Just a faint hope to clarify one or two things that have bothered me over the years. 

The light in winter is awful, but there is always a panting sitting waiting for me to add a colour/shape.  I get fun out of treating a well known painting as thought it was the first of several in a sequance - I have one on the go but havent yet photographed it -  In the mean time here is one of my bowl pictures to add to the jolity of nations

I am trying to forget we are into a New Year - they come round too fast now ...

Thanks for the comments and congratulations to the actor of Jermyn street!  My partner's mum was Terrence Rattigan's cousin - small world. 

Acting is a strange craft - I suspect a lot of it is to do with being clever at doing as little as possible - 'the less I do the better my performance', said Louis Juvet - and then there is always the hypnotic effect of the golden section :8:13//1.62  approx..that confirs greatness even if there is little talent to go with it.  Helen of Troy was cursed with it I reckon. For relaxation am re reading Vanity Fair, a novel that goes at a gentle amble- I bet its heroin Becky Sharp had it too - what a little minx!